Opening-closing device for opening in vehicle

Abstract

An opening-closing device for an opening in a vehicle includes an opening-closing body for opening and closing an opening formed in a vehicle body, a hinge arm for supporting the opening-closing body in a swingable manner on the vehicle body, and a torsion bar for pressing the hinge arm in the direction in which the opening-closing body is opened. The device includes a slide rail section provided on the surface of the hinge arm, and a slider capable of sliding in the longitudinal direction of the hinge arm by being guided by the slide rail section. The slider is held in a state in which the slider is always in contact with the slide rail section in the direction in which the torsion bar presses. The torsion bar is connected to the slider.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An opening-closing device for a vehicular opening portion, the device including an opening-closing member for opening and closing an opening portion formed in a vehicle body, a hinge arm through which the opening-closing member is swingably supported by the vehicle body, and a torsion bar urging the hinge arm in a direction in which the opening-closing member is opened, the device comprising:
 a slide rail section provided on a front surface of the hinge arm; and 
 a slider to be guided by the slide rail section to slide in a longitudinal direction of the hinge arm, 
 the slider being held always in surface-to-surface contact with the slide rail section in an urging direction of the torsion bar, 
 the torsion bar being connected to the slider, and 
 the slide rail section having a back surface parallel to the front surface of the hinge arm in an overlapping relation to the front surface, the back surface of the slide rail section being in contact with the front surface of the hinge arm over the substantially entire area thereof and extending continuously in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hinge arm. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the slider includes a bar connecting opening, the torsion bar being connected to the bar connecting opening by fitting therein, and
 wherein the bar connecting opening is opened in a direction opposite the direction in which the hinge arm is urged by the torsion bar. 
 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 2 , wherein the opening portion is provided by a trunk opening portion provided in a rear part of the vehicle body,
 wherein the opening-closing member is provided by a trunk lid for opening and closing the trunk opening portion, 
 wherein the slide rail section is located on a front surface of an arm proximal end portion of the hinge arm, and 
 wherein the torsion bar has a support center located rearwardly of a swing center of the hinge arm in a rear direction of the vehicle body. 
 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the slide rail section has a stopper defining a lowest position to which the slider is capable of being lowered relative to the slide rail section, and
 wherein the lowest position is set either at a fully lowered position in which the slider is fully lowered in response to a swing motion of the arm proximal end portion, or at a positon offset from the fully lowered position by a play allowing the slider to be further lowered from the fully lowered position. 
 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4 , wherein the slider is in a position set above the fully lowered position relative to the slide rail section when the trunk lid is fully opened. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 5 , wherein the stopper is provided by a locking projection formed on the slide rail section, and
 wherein the slider has a locking portion formed thereon, the locking portion being lockable to the locking projection. 
 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 5 , wherein the slider is detachably provided on the slide rail section such that the slider is detachable from a side opposite the stopper. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 4 , wherein the stopper is provided by a locking projection formed on the slide rail section, and
 wherein the slider has a locking portion formed thereon, the locking portion being lockable to the locking projection. 
 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the slider is detachably provided on the slide rail section such that the slider is detachable from a side opposite the stopper. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 4 , wherein the slider is detachably provided on the slide rail section such that the slider is detachable from a side opposite the stopper. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the front surface of the arm proximal end portion has a first attachment hole located towards the swing center of the arm proximal end portion, and a second attachment hole located farther from the swing center than the first attachment hole, and
 wherein the slide rail section is a member different from the arm proximal end portion in an overlapping relationship with the front surface of the arm proximal end portion, and the slide rail section has a generally L-shaped hook portion engaged with the first attachment hole, and a clip portion locked to the second attachment hole in a snap-fit manner. 
 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the bar connecting opening is provided by a grooved portion extending in a direction perpendicular to a slide direction in which the slider slides relative to the slide rail section,
 wherein the grooved portion comprises a central part located at a center in a longitudinal direction of a groove of the grooved portion, and opposite end parts located on opposite sides of the central part in the longitudinal direction of the groove, 
 wherein the central part is in the form of a straight groove parallel to the longitudinal direction of the groove, and 
 wherein the opposite end parts are in the form of taper grooves widening from the central part outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the groove. 
 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 2 , wherein the bar connecting opening is provided by a grooved portion extending in a direction perpendicular to a slide direction in which the slider slides relative to the slide rail section,
 wherein the grooved portion comprises a central part located at a center in a longitudinal direction of a groove of the grooved portion, and opposite end parts located on opposite sides of the central part in the longitudinal direction of the groove, 
 wherein the central part is in the form of a straight groove parallel to the longitudinal direction of the groove, and 
 wherein the opposite end parts are in the form of taper grooves widening from the central part outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the groove. 
 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the slider has a slide surface, and the slide rail section has a front surface on which the slide surface is slidable, the slide surface of the slider being held in slidable contact with the front surface of the slide rail section by an urging force of the torsion bar, and
 wherein the slide rail section has a region where the slider is slidable, the region of the slide rail section has one part defining a friction force increasing portion to increase a friction resistance between the slide rail section and the slider. 
 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 14 , wherein the friction force increasing portion is formed by a raised surface defined by a portion of the front surface of the slide rail section, the portion of the front surface of the slide rail section being raised in a direction opposite the direction of the urging force of the torsion bar. 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the slide rail section is provided by a generally flat member,
 wherein the slider has a pair of arm portions each generally L-shaped from opposite edges of the slider extending in a direction of slide movement of the slide surface, such that the arm portions embrace edges of the slide rail section, 
 wherein the pair of arm portions comprises a pair of extension parts and a pair of bent parts, the pair of extension parts extending from the slide surface of the slider, near the edges of the slide rail section and toward a back surface of the slide rail section, the pair of bent parts extending from distal ends of the extension parts along the back surface of the slide rail section toward each other, and 
 wherein an interval from the slide surface of the slider to the pair of bent parts is set to be larger than a thickness of the slide rail section. 
 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the interval is sized such that the pair of bent parts of the slider temporarily contacts the back surface of the slide rail section as the slide surface of the slider slides on the raised surface relative to the front surface of the slide rail section. 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 17 , wherein the slide surface of the slider has a bar position corresponding to a location to which the torsion bar is connected, the bar position being set to reach a location located immediately before an apex portion of the raised surface, when the pair of bent parts temporarily contacts the back surface of the slide rail section. 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 18 , wherein the apex portion of the raised surface is continuous with a flat surface on which the slide surface of the slider is slidable, the flat surface maintaining the same height from the apex portion, and the front surface of the slide rail section includes a surface other than the raised surface, the flat surface being parallel to the surface other than the raised surface. 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the raised surface is adjacent to a stop position of the slider in which the opening-closing member is fully closed.